Thursday, 26 April 2012

Tribal Headdresses From Around The World ~ Part XII

Assiniboine (Assinaboine) Tribe ~ Montana

Above left & right, Cloud Man ~ 1898

Above left, Four Bull ~ 1898 | Above right, The Man ~ 1898

“The Assiniboine, who called themselves 'Nakota,' meaning 'The Generous Ones,' are of Yanktonai Sioux ancestry. They initially lived in the Rainy Lake and Land of the Woods area along the Canadian border, and moved westward to the northern plains region in the early 1700's, searching for food. To facilitate hunting, the tribe broke into two bands, one group remaining in the northern plains to hunt bison. Before 1774, the Assiniboine divided again, with some moving south and west along the Missouri River. Epidemics ravaged their numbers, necessitating an alliance with the Cree against their common enemy, the Blackfeet. The Assiniboine were traditionally considered excellent hunters and horsemen.” (Quoted from: Carleton College)

“The Chippewa Indians, also known as the Ojibway or Ojibwe, lived mainly in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Ontario. ...The Chippewas were allies of the French and French traders often married Chippewa women. Chippewa warriors fought with the French against the British in the French and Indian War. But political alliances changed with the times. During the American Revolution the Chippewas sided with the British against the Americans.”

Above left, Arrow Maker | Above right, Chief Obtossaway

Alek Wabunosa

“The Ojibwe (said to mean "Puckered Moccasin People"), also known as the Chippewa, are a group of Algonquian-speaking bands who amalgamated as a tribe in the 1600's. They were primarily hunters and fishermen, as the climate of the UP was too cool for farming. A few bands of Ojibwe lived in southern Michigan, where they subsisted principally by hunting, though all had summer residences, where they raised min-dor-min (corn), potatoes, turnips, beans, and sometimes squashes, pumpkins, and melons.” (Quoted from: Ojibwe Indians)

“The Cree were known to French traders and missionaries as early as the first half of the seventeenth century, and about the end of that century they rose to a position of importance owing to the use made of them as guides and hunters in the prosecution of the fur trade. The English first came in contact with them through the posts of the Hudson's Bay Company established in their territory on Hudson Bay beginning in 1667 and for a time there was great rivalry between the French and English for their favor and patronage. At an early period the Cree formed an alliance with the Assiniboin, who wished to be on good terms with them so that they could have access to the Hudson Bay posts where they could obtain guns and powder to assist them in their wars with their kindred, the Dakota. This alliance also enabled the Cree to push southward as far as Red River and territories of the present United States.” (Quoted from: Canadian Genealogy)

“The Cree Indians are a vast tribe of Native Americans who reside in various parts of North America. These locations include the Rocky Mountain and areas along the Atlantic Coast. In Canada, the Cree Indians heavily populate Quebec and Saskatchewan. Similar to other Indian tribes, there are several bands of Cree Indians. [There are eight major groups that form the Cree Nation.] These bands consist of the James Bay Cree, Woodland [or Woods] Cree, Plain[s] Cree Indians, etc. [The other five tribes being: Attikamekw Cree, Montagnais Cree, Moose Cree, Naskapi Cree, and Swampy Cree] ...Within Canada, there are over 135 different bands of Cree Indians. Between Canada and the United States, there are approximately 200,000 Cree Indians.” (Quoted from: Indians.org)

“The Pawnee Tribe has a long and proud history going back over 700 years. At one time, early in the 19th century, there were over 10,000 members of the Pawnee Tribe along the North Platt River in Nebraska.”

“The Pawnee villages consisted of dome-shaped, earth-covered lodges with a diameter of 25 to 60 feet with a long entrance leading towards the East. A center pit dug three to four feet in diameter served as a fireplace. These lodges housed extended families.”

“The Tribe then, as it is now, was composed of four distinct bands: the Chaui 'Grand'; the Kitkehahki, 'Republican;' the Pitahawirata; 'Tappage;' and Skidi, 'Wolf.' Each band went on separate hunts and often fought separate battles.”

“Before the middle of the 19th century, the Tribe was stricken with smallpox and cholera. A great loss of life occurred and by 1900, the tribe's membership was decreased to approximately 600.”

“The Pawnees were well known for their ability to raid neighboring tribes and acquire their horses. They set out on foot and brought back hundreds of horses, especially from the tribes to the South and Southwest. Horses gave the Pawnees the mobility that made them a name to be feared by their enemies.” (Quoted from: Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma)

Gall: Lakota War Chief (2007), by Robert W. Larson: University of Oklahoma Press

Sitting Bull (2008), by Bill Yenne: Westholme Publishing

Crazy Horse: A Lakota Life (2008), by Kingsley M. Bray: University of Oklahoma Press

The History of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Montana, 1800-2000 (2008), by David Miller, Dennis J Smith, Joseph R. McGeshick, James Shanley &Caleb Shields: Montana Historical Society

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